As the year winds down, we reflect on everything that has happened over the last few months. Needless to say, 2020 was a very unique year! As we were all forced to slow down and entertain different ways of operating our businesses globally, we found a new appreciation for our freedoms and a new outlook on our priorities.
The majority of us found ourselves working from home very early on and the challenges that came with that were sometimes comical. Most businesses place emphasis on the personal touch, but there is no more personal touch than meeting someone's small child during a conference call. During this time, we all had a chance to see our members in a completely different light and we are all much better for it. 'How are you?' may have been used pre-pandemic as a polite formality, but the pandemic has given us the opportunity to really get to know people on a personal level. Whilst we could not travel and get together in person, we were still able to connect with everyone and also provide spaces to keep everyone connected.
As we all found ourselves thrust into this 100% digital world, we discovered that we are completely adaptable. Many people who were camera shy now feel more confident to have a meeting on camera or give a presentation to a room full of people even if the audience is faceless. Our abilities to handle multi-screens have also definitely been honed!
At Parking Network, our experiences with these online settings went into overdrive. We realized very quickly that virtual was the way forward, at least for the time being. Because of the nature of our platform, this was fairly easy to achieve from a technical perspective. Whilst we missed our in-person events, this year we were able to host six online events and continue with our mission of 'Connecting Parking Professionals Worldwide'.
We've recently been able to evaluate these digital experiences with our members and have listened to their feedback. We expect that at least the beginning of 2021 will continue much the same with respect to the possibility of business travel and tradeshow offerings, so will continue to forge ahead with our online events. The invaluable feedback from our members will allow us to create an optimal online networking environment, and we look forward to the coming year and hope many of you will join us.
Although many of us will be glad to see the back of 2020, this year has really taught us what is important. Our families, our health, and the well-being of everyone we know. Our team at Parking Network would like to thank you all for your support during this year and wish you all Happy and Healthy Holidays ahead. We look forward to reconnecting with you all in the New Year!
